The Local

The Local. Everybody should have one. A place that becomes a home from home.The automatic default choice when you fancy a drink. The place where you go when someone suggests going to "the pub". Somewhere that makes you feel instantly comfortable and relaxed when you walk through the door. The size of any community is defined by the presence of certain institutions; churches, cathedrals, shops and schools but a community is not a community without a pub.

Of course there's no reason to limit yourself to one local. In fact it could be said to be rather short-sighted. Several locals can serve multiple purposes and that's without mentioning the sub-category of regulars. More on that to follow.

Over the years I have had many locals. They started as being the places that had "enlightened" policies on checking for proof of age then moved on to ones that were less likely to be rammed on a Friday night. After that I went through a phase of seeking "atmosphere" (usually meaning smoky, dingy and with interesting facial hair on men and women alike) before realising my true niche; good beer ideally supplemented by good food.

At the moment I have two places I would call locals. The first is best described as a "boozer". It's principle function for those that frequent it seems to be the consumption of drinks. I discovered it mainly because it is at the end of my road and far enough away from the centre of town that it avoids tourist and student traffic. It has a pleasing simplicity about it. No elaborate polished glass furniture, pretentious bar snacks, thumping music or cocktail menu that relies more on hope than skill. Better still, it's dog friendly and child unfriendly. There's all you would expect for entertainment; a pool table, darts, dominoes and a big screen for the odd sporting function. The menu features excellent pub grub. Special note should go to the excellent Pieminster pies. This place is usually my default choice when I feel like a quiet pint on my own with a bit of anonymity or if I feel like more than one and don't have a lift.

My other local is a proper village pub (even if I don't live in the village). It was found when lost in the countryside and the inside turned out to be as picturesque as the ancient stone and thatched roof suggested. The beautiful surroundings are matched only by the warm welcome and community atmosphere. Oh and did I mention the picturesque garden with the friendly rabbits, docile border collie and vast amounts of parking just to finish it off. Unsurprisingly I have been making regular trips since I moved into the area and have as such got to know the staff and the owners... to the point my they recognise my voice on the phone. The food served is delicious home-cooking with plentiful portions. All in all it's hard to find an excuse not to go for a swift half fairly regularly. It's one of the few places I will make the effort to attend any of the functions organised.

So what of the other category; regulars? These are usually places I know of but don't visit frequently or make a particular effort to go to. Usually they are visited as a result of proximity. Naturally there are a couple of places in the centre of town visited when a pre-, mid- or post-shopping pit stop is required. They will have good beer and an interesting feature or two. I also have a couple of places along the river for refreshment if out for a stroll.

Pubs on the regular list are still familiar surroundings but less of a second home. At best there will be a spark of vague recognition in the eyes of the staff rather than recognising my voice. The huge advantage of having regular haunts is the comfort of knowing exactly what you're getting. The guarantee of a decent pint and a good sandwich when lunch is needed; a crackling log fire on a winter's evening or a sunny garden on a summer afternoon.

There is of course one final category; the potentials. Pubs that look worth investigating to find out if they are worthy of further visits. Obviously it would be silly not to try them in case you deprive yourself of an absolute gem. And being a scientist I would also have to recommend trying each one multiple times to ensure a high average and therefore reliable results! Naturally I will endeavour to try a decent spectrum and write them up here.

On that note, I'm off for a pint!

TFB

Mulled Wine

It's the festive season: the season to be jolly and usually "jolly". Gallons of festive cheer are consumed by revellers. One particularly seasonal tipple is mulled wine. This can be a bit of a double-edged sword. Good mulled wine is excellent; bad stuff is truly horrific. Therefore, being the thoughtful, sharing type I thought I would give you my recipe for mulled wine so you can guarantee to enjoy yourself and impress your guests over Christmas.

Step one: throw away those ghastly pre-made sachets. All they do is make the wine taste like old feet.

The major ingredient is of course red wine. Since it's going to have a lot added to it, leave the Petrus in the cellar and go for something a little less expensive. A full-bodied North Italian red is my usual bottle of choice although whatever is on special offer is usually a good rule of thumb.

Next add some dark rum (I like Lamb's Old Navy but OVD is a good substitute). For a guide to quantity, add enough rum that you think, "my that's a lot of rum" and then a bit more for luck. The aim is to get the "warming" effect of the spirit along with the physical warmth of the drink.

Along with the rum, add some caster sugar (about 150g) and a cinnamon stick. Pour in about 250ml of good orange juice - the smooth stuff and then start preparing the fruit. I usually use an orange and a lemon. Massage both until they are soft and pliable so they are ready to release their juice (10 seconds in the microwave will have a similar effect but be less soothing). Slice the lemon about a third of the way through in several places and put in the mixture (ideally contained in a heavy-based saucepan). Next stud the orange all over with whole cloves. It's a lot of effort and quite fiddly but the visual effect is stunning and it adds a real richness to the flavour.

In an ideal world I would heat this up until just warm then allow it to sit for a couple of hours before warming it again and serving however it can be warmed and served immediately. Enjoy with mince pies and (if you must) carols.

Cheers

TFB

P.s. Warning: if you're even in the same room as the pot don't even look at a car never mind think about driving!

Restaurant Review: The Coach and Horses - Chiselhampton

Normally going out to eat somewhere new is cause for celebration. Even if the meal out isn't to celebrate anything in particular, the excitement of trying somewhere new is enough to create a bit of a party atmosphere. However, despite wanting to eat there for a while, my first visit to the Coach and Horses, in the Oxfordshire village of Chiselhampton was begun with a heavy heart. This is because it marked my last day in a job which I had greatly enjoyed and also enforced that I would no longer be working with people who's company (*ahem* I mean professional support and guidance) I had had the privilege of for the last year. Anyway, I know they're reading this so I will stop before their heads get any bigger.

The Coach and Horses is a coaching inn on the road between Oxford and the market town of Thame. From the road it looks like motley collection of old stone buildings and it is easy to imagine masked highwaymen tying up their horses here before slaking their thirst and assessing their booty. Inside; low ceilings, crackling log fires and a maze-like quality reinforce this. Despite my conjuring up images of Dick Turpin, the pub is in-fact a charming family-run establishment. The chef-proprietor took over the business from his parents and his daughters provided the charming (and remarkably patient) front of house service.

Initial plus points were won at the bar where seasonal beers from Hook Norton Brewery were on tap. Once a suitable quantity of the excellent 12 days had been supped we were shown through to our table. Unusually, the set Christmas menu looked so good that I didn't even bother looking at the main menu. The turkey and trimmings was complemented by an array of other seasonal dishes including Scottish salmon (good ingredient sourcing there) and pheasant. There was a vegetarian option but you didn't seriously expect me to look at it did you?

Before I get ahead of myself, let me recommend the Coach and Horses chicken liver pate. It was beautifully rich and thick and served with plenty of toast. Now on to the wonderful pheasant. It was served wrapped in bacon which kept it lovely and moist and accompanied by some lovely stuffing and a fantastic mushroom sauce. Seasonal veggies were served separately allowing picky eaters like me to express their naturally descerning tastes and only take what they want. A couple of roasties finished everything off nicely.

Dessert was an interesting course. Anyone who has read my previous posts will know that I usually favour a cheese board to finish off a meal. However, the quality of the previous two courses was such that I decided to take a bit of a punt and go for one of the desserts that required a bit more cooking. Eventually I opted for the profiteroles (although the choice was a hard one). They arrived looking delicious. One particularly nice touch was the sauce being served on the side ensuring that they were neither drowned nor over-sauced. My decision to go for something other than cheese was well made. The profiteroles has a lovely, delicate consistency with a beautiful flavour and just enough cream to complement the lashings of chocolate sauce.

As I mentioned previously, the service was excellent. Everybody coped with and tolerated a mass of mild rowdy types extremely well. The courses also arrived at roughly the same time for everyone avoiding awkward pauses as we were waiting for everyone to get served.

In conclusion; I will be going back there as soon as I can find an excuse. Delicious food, excellent beer, friendly service and a lovely environment all worked together to create a wonderful meal. Enough said.

TFB

Guest Post: The Dinner Party

Tensions were mounting and emotions were running high. The time had finally come... for the Dinner Party.

The Venue: My parents house - providing access to a decently sized kitchen

The Guests: The hosts - my parents, the chefs - myself and TFB - and the esteemed visitors; my father's former pupil master (tutor in law speak) and his new wife (no he's not a serial philanderer, but a delightful gentleman getting on in years who's been lucky enough to meet a lovely new lady after being bereaved).

The Menu: Having been mulled over for many months and being reincarnated multiple times we had eventually decided upon... Cured salmon served on toast with soft cheese and chives for starters, a recipe adapted from James Martin's recent Food Map of Britain programme. Main was to be chicken in a whisky mushroom sauce with dauphinoise potatoes and griddled courgettes from TFB's favourite Whisky Kitchen cookbook. Finally dessert was my own creation of a white chocolate and lemon cheesecake. If you're diabetic look away now but the ingredients are white chocolate, juice of two lemons, condensed milk, whipped double cream and cream cheese (although I didn't mention that to my cheese phobic father). A final flourish was provided by TFB's homemade and truly luxurious tablet, for those who are uninitiated tablet is not a pill but rather a crunchy version of fudge, made primarily from sugar and condensed milk. Yum!

The concept had arisen as TFB and I are keen entertainers and Mum and Dad were long overdue in reciprocating an invitation. I was desperate for TFB to meet the esteemed visitor, whom I knew to be an amusing companion and as such a convenient date was arranged for everyone to converge for Sunday lunch. What followed amounted to a turf war. My mother is a little proprietorial when it comes to her kitchen and the rights to cook almost had to be physically wrestled from her. After she had finally conceded we were nagged for weeks about finalising a menu and providing her with a list of ingredients. Ultimately she contented herself with bustling about while we were prepping. A sample of conversation went along the lines of:

Mum "It's not a problem if I just prepare dinner for tomorrow in a corner is it?"

Me "Well actually we're needing all the space for our prep and we'll fall over each other if you do"

Mum, as she sets herself up anyway "I won't take up much space"

It was a toss up who was most likely to come to harm - her, as my patience wore out, or us as we tripped over her and went flying. 

Needless to say no injuries did occur and the end result was nearly flawless. I was thoroughly won over by the salmon, despite my concealed skepticism beforehand. I have since made TFB do it again. Main was very well received. If I was being super picky the chicken had maybe had a minute or two too long in the pan but was still acceptably tender and succulent and the accompanying sauce was a triumph. The plating was magnificent with individual ramekins holding the dauphinoise. Compliments abounded as we all enjoyed the dish. Finally my dessert was sweet and delicious. Prepared in individual pudding rings it stood in the middle of the plates, garnished with raspberries and grated dark chocolate and was yummy! The tablet at the end was the crowning glory and not only did a nameless guess admit to losing count after 13 pieces but was seen leaving with a doggy bag! 

Lunch extended throughout the afternoon with the guests not leaving until gone 5pm. Everybody had seemingly had a wonderful time and TFB and I were really rather pleased with ourselves. It has to be said that he did the bulk of the work but I hope I proved useful and I think in the kitchen we make quite a good team. And the best bit of all was that as it wasn't our house we didn't even have to do the washing up! That's why Mum has a dishwasher - he's called Dad! 

Happy Cooking

The Girlfriend. 

Patisserie Valerie

I have written before about the pleasure that is breakfast on a weekend. A self-indulgent feast to counteract the daily drudgery of cereal. A few weeks ago, we decided that we would have breakfast at the central Oxford branch of Patisserie Valerie. Although neither of us are huge fans of national chains, the cakes in the window were rather seductive. Sadly appearances can be deceptive.

Things started with moderate promise. As well as cakes, the menu had a fry up on it. Admittedly it was a fry-up costing eight quid; a bit steep if you ask me. However, it showed that there were at least decent ingredients on the premises; specifically bacon and bread. You may see where this is going. A bacon sandwich seemed like a distinct possibility.  All good so far. Unfortunately things didn't turn out to be that simple. I started my request with a suitably sheepish, "I know it's not strictly speaking on the menu but..." My request for a bacon sandwich was met with a look of such confused blankness that I began to think I had asked for a pollonium-cooked paving slab in some obscure conversational Zwahili dialect. Eventually I was told that a bacon sandwich was impossible in a tone that questioned why anyone would want such a thing ever! This didn't endear the place much. How hard can it be? Bacon, bread, a bit of butter and maybe some brown sauce. It doesn't take a Michelin star. It doesn't even really take opposable thumbs. Given the cooks in the building can prepare a fry up, a bacon sandwich shouldn't be beyond their ability.To add insult to injury I was then helpfully informed that they have bacon, lettuce and tomato sandwiches.

Oh wait, so they can place some bacon between bread. They just need superfluous pollution too. Or maybe it's hot ingredients that prove a problem. A sharp kick on the shin from my other-half prevented me asking for a B.L.T. minus the L. and the T.

Grumblingly I settled for my pastry staple, a pain aux chocolate. All I can say is that I wish I hadn't bothered. Sometimes hunger can be the preferable alternative. We were given virtually no option about having our pastries heated. They were being given their blast in the microwave whether we liked it or not. Sadly this did little to conceal the fact that they tasted like they had been sitting on a shelf for at least a day and had then been dropped in cement. If you think all of this is sour grapes about my beloved bacon sandwich then I can confirm that my girlfriend found her pastry almost inedible too.

So to recap, my preferred choice wasn't available and the backup option was distinctly unpalatable. A saving grace would be that it was cheap but there was no such luck there either. Two hot drinks and a couple of pastries cost nearly fifteen quid. A bit steep in anybody's books especially given the poor service and the disappointing food.

I would like to report some mitigating features to recommend this place but unfortunately I can't. We didn't even get the the bill quickly thus delaying our escape to pastures more fun.

My honest advice; if you're walking past a Patisserie Valerie and fancy a snack, keep walking. You might be lucky and find a bit of rubble or some old cigarette butts to nibble on.

TFB

Haggis, Neeps and Tatties

Today is St. Andrew's day; the patron Saint of Scotland (amongst a few other places). To mark this I will be wearing my kilt but that doesn't really have much of a place in a food blog so I thought I would share my recipe for the most traditional of Scottish deelicacies... haggis, neeps and tatties.

For the uninitiated, haggis is a small hairy creature with legs shorter on one side than on the other. This allows them to run round hills more easily. Obviously male haggises (haggi) have legs shorter on one side and female on the other allowing them to meet half way round the hill. 

Back in the real world, it is a dish of sheep offal, oatmeal, onions and spices. On paper I'll admit, this isn't the most enticing of combinations however most people are converts on tasting. With an open mind, it is the perfect hearty dish for these ever colder winter evenings. If you're looking to buy some then it can be found in many good butchers and some good supermarkets such as Waitrose. I  recommend McSweens as the best to go for. To get the best results I usually stand it in about 2 inches of water in a baking tray, add a wee sploosh of whisky then cover it with tinfoil and cook in a medium-hot oven for about an hour.

Tatties are potatoes, ideally mashed. For best results I infuse the milk for the mashing with the potato skins and simmer the butter gently until it goes a lovely nut-brown colour. It is also worth rinsing the chopped potatoes a few times under running water to remove some of the starch.

For the neeps I generally use mashed swede. This does tend to have a bit of a watery flavour if not treated carefully. For that reason I tend to mix in some chopped parsnips to add a bit of flavour and texture. I also only use butter for the mashing.

Finally, to finish all this off, a Balmoral sauce does the job nicely. Around 300ml of lamb stock simmered until it is thick and viscous with a glass of white wine, whisky (naturally), some lemon juice and a tablespoon of good quality heather honey with a few twists of black pepper will make the perfect sauce. The quantities can be played with until the desired flavour and consistency have been achieved.

Obviously, to finish all of this properly a whisky is required. I think on this occasion, depending on the weather, either an Aberlour 10 year old or an Arran 10 year old should hit the spot nicely!

Sliante

TFB

Whisky Gifts

It's that time of year again. Mass hysteria has descended over the general population like the first frost of winter. Suddenly the question on everybody's lips is, "What can I get... ?" insert person of choice. Special offers are raided, fellow shoppers elbowed aside and general grumpiness levels rise (well mine anyway).

Eventually thoughts will turn either in inspiration or desperation to whisky. There's a flash of relief as you remember that old Uncle Alec likes a dram.... or at least seems the sort that does. Not only that but a bottle of whisky has a certain grace and elegance to it. Gravitas even. Not only that, it doesn't take up too much space, looks good on the sideboard and, barring the more collectible expressions, is the perfect sort of price.

So you've decided on a bottle. Now the big question is which one? Generally if it's wet and tastes of whisky it will go down well but let's assume you're planning on being reasonably adventurous and go for a malt. You could of course go for one of the Glens; Glenfiddich, Glenmorangie or Glen Livet. Between them they make up a significant percentage of single malt production in Scotland. All have their own strengths as whiskys and will provide an enjoyable drink. However if you're buying a bottle I suspect you want to go for something a "bit different"; something special that will make an impression.

There are of course endless obscure expressions that can impress and titillate a connoisseur but they are hard to get hold of and invariably expensive. If you're not buying for a connoisseur then (if you have any sort of conscience) you won't want to run the risk of it being diluted with coke!

Fortunately there is one particular expression that ticks all the boxes in my book. A bottle that will satisfy even a demanding aficionado but will equally provide a nice drink to someone who doesn't drink a lot of whisky. It has a lovely, complex flavour that can be savoured and de-constructed but equally, it tastes of whisky. Dram after a meal? No problem, this is robust enough to be enjoyed. Equally, it's light enough to be had on it's own on a winter afternoon. It also has the geeky trivia-value of being from the most northern (legal) whisky distillery in the world.

The bottle in question? Highland Park 12 year old.

So give it a try; either a bottle of festive cheer and goodwill for yourself or as a gift. Either way, I hope you enjoy it.

Sliante

TFB

Restaurant Review: The Waterside Inn Bray

It was the third anniversary of my girlfriend and I getting together and what better way to for two budding foodies to celebrate a special occasion than by going out for a meal? More in hope than in faith we applied (yes applied) for table reservations at the Waterside Inn. The other three Michelin starred restaurant in Bray.

Much to our surprise, our application was successful so on the day of our anniversary we packed into the car and headed off to Bray. When we got there, we encountered the first issue of the night. Valet parking. In front of us was a fleet of Audis, behind a queue of Range Rovers. We however were in a Corsa. A pink Corsa. Needless to say, we felt a wee bit out of place. The parking attendant did however have the good grace to keep a straight face... just!

We got in and were greeted in hushed, deferential tones although it was not immediately clear whether these were directed at us or the institution. In the waiting room we were presented with menus, canapés and a drink.

Fairly quickly I decided that the tasting menu was the order of the day. So far so good. Unfortunately, when I highlighted my egg allergy, things started to go a bit wrong. I thought that, as dishes with eggs were highlighted on the menu, the kitchen would be well versed in mitigating their use. Apparently not. The waiter seemed rather flummoxed and unsettled by my revelation. Ultimately this resulted in me getting most of the dishes but some were missing elements. This I could cope with but where I felt really let down were the dessert courses. My first was substituted with a cheese board which wasn't entirely bad news. The second was substituted with a plate of fruit. This was more suitable to places where Michelins are fitted rather than awarded. Given Roux is a noted pastry chef amongst his other talents, I expected better. I was similarly let down by the petit fours with coffee. Four rather bland fruit jellies were hardly a substitute and left me feeling distinctly fobbed off.

What didn't help was a bit of a language barrier. Having a degree in Biology along with living with food allergies for 27 years means I have come to understand allergies rather well. If I hear how eggs feature in a dish, I usually have a fairly good idea how I will react to them (as well as having a decent chance of explaining why). Unfortunately the waiter and I couldn't find a common language for me to say this so in the end, I gave up.

So beyond that, how was the rest of the food? If I were to sum it up in one sentence it would be: nice but uninspiring. My lobster starter was delicious but spoiled by the heap of green stuff that looked like it had come straight out of a supermarket salad bag and gave the dish the feel of being served in a greasy-spoon "caff" rather than a world renowned restaurant. Next was a very tasty chestnut and champagne veloute with a lovely mouth-feel and mine was served without the foie gras. However it was a bit on the heavy side for something so early in the meal. Next up was an halibut which was beautifully cooked and had a wonderful texture. Finally was the duck which was a bit of an highlight. Beautifully flavoured and succulently tender, it was extremely satisfying. There was a decent amount of duck on the plate too.

So why uninspiring? Each of the dishes were well presented and tasty but none of them were truly mind-blowing. To my mind that's what one should be getting in a three star restaurant. The heavy use of ingredients like foie gras, caviar and truffle gave the meal and air of decadence but also the impression of "posh food by numbers". Nothing was enormously surprising nor terribly exciting. The general sense of disaffection was brought to a head by the prices. Nobody expects a three star restaurant to be cheap but the prices we were charged were verging on the piss-taking. Fifty quid for a main course. Really? We both agreed that for the sort of money we paid we were expecting a meal that we would be talking about for years to come. We were prepared to pay lots but what we did pay, didn't represent value.

Unfortunately the service didn't do a lot to counteract our general dissatisfaction. The restaurant was very well staffed but this lead to lots of people milling about trying to look busy. This in turn created a bustling atmosphere which was extremely unsettling. There was also lots of duplication of tasks. I got asked about my wine three times by three separate people before I had even had a chance to taste it (and anybody that knows me will know that it doesn't take me long to get stuck into a drink). This was after the sommelier looked slightly perplexed when I asked for his recommendations for wine to go with my meal. Throughout the meal we were interrogated as to the food often mid-mouthful or half way through a sentence making it extremely difficult either to enjoy the meal or relax and enjoy each other's company.

I did like the bread basket though. It was made out of beautifully baked and glazed dough.

In conclusion, I really can't recommend going here unless you desperately want to go to a three star restaurant that's not in London and you don't like the idea of the Fat duck  While the food is certainly delicious, it does not justify the price charged. Meals of similar quality can be obtained elsewhere for a more reasonable price. Other venues also have far more personality and soul rather than a rather stiff routine that felt in hindsight like a bit of a gastronomic conveyor belt.

TFB

Party Planning

It was my mother's birthday recently. It is amazing how often she turns 21 (not least because I'm 27)!  As part of the celebrations I (ably assisted by my girlfriend who was indulging her inner Pippa Middleton) put on a small "do" for her with her, my dad and a family friend with associated sprogs and dogs.

Naturally your friendly food blogger spent a considerable amount of time planning a key element; the food. After scrolling through numerous options for individually prepared dishes, I eventually settled for two big dishes that guests could help themselves to and eventually end up suitably stuffed. Even better (and a feature of luck rather than good planning) both dishes could be served with rice minimising the amount of prep. needed.

My first dish was a curry; an almost universal favourite. A korma was my eventual choice since it is rich and flavoursome without being too spicy. Critically it can also be prepared in bulk and in advance. I'm pleased to report that it was so popular that the pot was virtually licked clean.

My next dish was something of my own creation; beef beerginion. Sorry, it is a pun. My sense of humour is that clunking. The dish, as you may have guessed, is my take on a beef bourginion but made with copious volumes of beer rather than red wine. It simmers down to a beautiful, rich dish. Again this can be made in advance and in sufficient quantities to feed a medium-sized squadron (or my lot and a hungry dog).

I'm pleased to say that both dishes went down a storm.

Desserts were handled by my girlfriend; the one with the sweet tooth that I may have mentioned. The menu consisted of a delicious cheesecake, a birthday cake and (best of all in my opinion) a syrup dumpling. With that on offer, elasticated waistbands seem less like a sartorial slight and more like a vital necessity. All of this was finished off by some cupcakes beautifully decorated with poppies; my mum's favourite flower. These were done by my girlfriend's cousin who has an incredible talent when it comes to cupcakes and icing.

Key to all of this was one basic principle handed down from my mother and her mother before her; make sure that nobody was anything less than absolutely stuffed. Pancakes the next morning made this effect last well into the next day. Oh and some rolls and sausage for those that could stomach it.

Not only was spoiling my mother good fun. I enjoyed cooking for lots of people too. Much as I don't like planning, cooking is the exception that proves the rule. The challenge of cooking of cooking for a variety of ages and tastes is not one to be underestimated and extremely rewarding when it works out.

Most of all, both my girlfriend and I have learned one vital lesson which I will pass on to you now. When entertaining for crowds, paper plates are an absolute god-send. Washing up is minimised and we had more time to enjoy the party!

TFB

"I Don't Like Whisky"

The above quote is one I often hear when drawn into discussion on my passion for the water of life. Usually I meet this with the kind of look one would give a passing Martian and a blunt, grunted, "Why?"

There are two main reasons people give for their dislike. The first is a "bad experience" in their youth. Usually this involves a party, far too much mass produced spirit from a foreign climate and often a questionable choice of romantic partner or sleeping location. Often the headache afterwards is also cited as an excuse. To these people I say grow some backbone. Youth is meant to be blighted with silliness and questionable choices. Don't let too much of a bad decision put you off a lifetime of pleasure. As Oscar Wilde said, "Everything in moderation, including moderation!"

The other main reason given is not liking the experience of drinking whisky. "It burns" is a common reaction. In that case, may I suggest cutting it with a wonderful substance (and key ingredient of whisky itself) water. Naturally, Scottish spring water is the best but in the absence of this, there's plenty of the stuff in the tap! A few drops should be enough to extinguish the worst of the fire but if you want a really easy-drinking experience then I suggest adding equal measures of whisky and water. Going off on a tangent; I have recently developed a taste (probably on the back of re-reading the Bond novels) for whisky and soda. The slight bitterness of the soda offsets the richness of the whisky nicely. This is best saved for the cheaper blends though.

Of course, beyond the sensation of drinking, there are some people who claim that they dislike the taste. Usually they are in the company of those in the above paragraph; they have only really experienced poor quality whiskies or certainly ones that are not to their taste. Scotland may be a relatively small country but the diversity of flavours in the whisky is really quite astonishing. Not liking the flavour of whisky simply means not having tasted enough.

To get an understanding of the flavours available, one needs to understand a bit about the region the whisky comes from. The Scottish Whisky Association defines a whisky region as an area with three or more distilleries. In practical terms this translates to Speyside, Highland, Lowland, Island and Islay although I (and many others) would also argue that Cambletown should also be classified as a unique region. Although it only has two distilleries, the whisky produced is delicious and has some unique characteristics. However, working within the official definitions, there are still some tangible regional markers that can be used to get an idea of what a whisky will be like.

Let's start with Speyside. As the name suggests, Speyside distilleries are the ones that border the river Spey in the North East. They are noted for their light, fruity characteristics and cover giants of the whisky industry like Glenfiddich and Glenlivet. These whiskies are regarded by some connoisseurs as the best in the world.

Next are the Highland whiskies. They tend to be sweeter in character and have a smoother, creamier mouth-feel (for example Edradour). Most highland whiskies can also be found in the East of the country.

Lowland whiskies on the other hand can be found throughout the central belt of Scotland and on into the borders. These have a dry, cerial-like quality with some people describing the flavours as almost grassy. The lowland region is also home to the only distillery in Scotland that distils it's spirit three times rather than the more conventional two. This gives the whisky a particularly smooth character.

Island whiskies, as the name suggests, are produced on the Scottish islands. Given the geographical diversity of the islands, it probably won't be a huge surprise to find out that there is also a fair range of flavours in the whisky. However the dominant flavours are smoky and peaty ones with several being quite sweet too.

The final category is Islay. Although Islay is an island, the sheer number of distilleries on it combined with their truly unique style had marked Islay out as a separate region. Whiskies from here are usually very smoky and very peaty. There is also a very salty quality; almost like seaweed being used to scent the room. They are the perfect fireside whiskies but not for the feint-hearted.

All of the descriptions I have given you so far are fairly vague and broad (not to mention entirely subjective). Naturally there is considerable variation in the flavours of the whiskies produced within a region. Otherwise, where would the fun be? The descriptions are however useful in narrowing down choices when trying to find whiskies for somebody's taste. Giving someone with a sweet tooth an Islay whisky would be a mistake! Similarly, giving someone who like dry flavours a whisky from Speyside or the Lowlands probably isn't your best bet (unless your guest is as awkward as I am. For some reason I prefer savoury flavours to eat and dry flavours to drink but most of my favourite whiskies are at the sweeter end of the spectrum).

Net outcome of this post; I urge you to go out and try as many whiskies from different regions as possible. You will see that these generalisations have some truth.

Sliante.

TFB

The Lamb

We were lost. Very, very lost. Looking for a small country lane deep in the Oxfordshire countryside was not an easy undertaking. We eventually found where we were looking for but more interestingly, from the point of view of this post, we also stumbled across a rather charming country pub. The pub in question was the Lamb in Little Milton.

It first attracted out attention by virtue of the fact that it had a thatched roof. Quaint to the point of cliché but still rather fun. It appeared to be the social hub of a small community consisting largely of thatched buildings.

Initially we just went in for drinks. Inside I was delighted to find good ale at a reasonable price. More importantly, it had a warm and friendly atmosphere. However, while the inside was lovely, the real show-stopper was the outside. As well as the thatched roof and the ample car park there is an absolutely gorgeous garden complete with some very friendly rabbits (whose numbers bear no relation to the specials board). In the summer it's a glorious place to spend some time with a couple of pints.

Like our first contact with the Black Prince, our first contact was enough to have us wanting more. If the settings and drinks weren't enough, the menu was positively seductive. It has subsequently become a firm favourite and one of our regular haunts

Now on to the food bit; it's spectacular. Good, hearty country fare was the order of the day. It was beautifully cooked and elegantly presented. Better still, the portions were huge. There's no chance of still feeling hungry at the end of your meal! Style-wise; it is best described as exceptional home cooking. In the many meals I've had there I have had the pleasure of eating pate, lamb tagine, curry (not for the faint hearted), roast lunch and much, much more.

Another key point is the fact that it's dog friendly although beware; your dog will have to get on with Benjamin the resident, fluffy, border collie that roams around later in the evening. They will also have to cope with copious cuddles from Megan; one of the girls that works in the bar.

If you're looking for some good fun and a bit of a laugh to go with your meal then I can highly recommend the quiz that takes place on the first Thursday of every month. Prizes range from wine to bin bags via chocolate and cash. Rounds are on a variety of topics including beer and cakes, music  and obscure baby photos.

So in conclusion, if you want a lovely pub in a picturesque setting with the possibility of some excellent food and the guarantee of a warm welcome then you will struggle to find somewhere better than the lamb.

TFB

Home Brew

Being a keen beer drinker with a love of playing in the kitchen it was virtually inevitable that I would eventually start making my own beer. That and reasons of economy! It turns out that making one's own beer works out at about £1 per pint.

The basics turned out to be surprisingly straight forward. Furthermore, as far as specialist equipment goes, there isn't too much of that either. On the one hand this is great; my new hobby doesn't take up too much space (which my girlfriend approves of)but it does mean I have been deprived of a vast array of new toys! For very basic brewing all that is really required is a food-grade plastic bucket, a thermometer, an hydrometer, a siphon tube and some sterilising crystals. I have also chosen to bottle condition my beer so some caps and bottles (and a bottling tool) is also needed. Naturally the best way to acquire beer bottles is to drink plenty beer. It also allows one to hone one's palette!

At the moment, the brewing itself is turning out to be fairly straight forward. Admittedly this is partly due to the fact that, at the moment, I am using the "cheat's" method of pre-made, pre-hopped malt extract. All the activity needed is the addition of sugar, water and a bit of stirring. Job done.

The main reasons for opting for kits at the moment are principally lack of knowledge. I wanted to get my eye in with making something vaguely beery before playing too much myself. Secondly, the raw materials (certainly in the volumes I would be using them in) are quite hard to come by.

Unusually for me, the first time I made a brew, I followed the instructions to the letter. Hey presto, a few days later I had some brown liquid that tasted vaguely like beer. However I can report (with some degree of smugness) that the instructions weren't quite correct. The end product was a little weak for my palette making the whole brew taste a bit watered down. Also, it hadn't fully fermented by the time I transferred it to bottles (despite me leaving it for longer than the recommended length of time). Not only did this mean that some of the beer made determined bid for freedom when it was opened, it also had an overly fizzy mouth-feel more akin to champagne than beer.

More recent attempts have been much more successful. In my usual style, I started playing around with ingredients and proportions. First of all was less water. This meant the result tasted much more like beer and much less like the uriny output of a dodgy dive bar. It also resulted in the beer coming out at a rather pleasing 5% A.B.V. My second change was using normal sugar rather than brewer's sugar. My inner biologist told that they were chemically similar enough that the yeast would still be able to work and produce beer. Finally, I started leaving the mixture to ferment for at least a week. This ensures that fermentation is fully complete and yields a rich, full-bodied ale.

Obviously I wasn't happy with just one good batch so I set about trying to replicate my results. Happily this turned out to be relatively successful. A few batches later and I can usually produce a decent IPA with some confidence. My next step will be trying to obtain malted barley and hops to make the whole concoction from scratch and see if that improves the final outcome.

Cheers

TFB

Loch Fyne

After my recent post singing the praises of national chain restaurants; my most recent one has turned out to be rather disappointing. The restaurant in question was the Bath branch of Loch Fyne where we stopped for some lunch when we were on a day trip.

For the uninitiated, Loch Fyne is a chain of seafood restaurants that specialise in seafood from the eponymous Scottish loch. As such the food has a strongly Scottish theme running through it. Naturally I had high hopes and I was looking forward to a taste of home. Unfortunately, things didn't quite work out that way.

My first gripe comes from our introduction. Our waitress showed us to our table before introducing herself and reeling off a spiel more suited to a pre-flight briefing. While this may be considered charming in some parts of the world, we Brits want burgers not biographies. Everyone in this act realised this and it quickly created a slightly awkward atmosphere.

Next was the food. While lunchtime set menus are never going to be mind-bendingly brilliant, this was particularly disappointing. Our starters were very tasty and decently sized, unfortunately the main courses didn't follow suit. Both were bland and under-seasoned. In addition, my plaice was prepared in such a way that it was virtually impossible to get a decent mouthful of food. The seasonal vegetable side was much the same; under seasoned, over cooked and watery.

Such was the level of our disappointment that neither of us had the slightest desire to have dessert. We agreed that none looked particularly appetising and those that looked palatable would almost certainly be a let down. Now to put this into context; separating my girlfriend from sugar is like separating a Scotsman from a fiver... theoretically possible but in practise very difficult. Not having a dessert is a big deal!

The upshot of all this is that I can't in good conscience recommend going here. Perhaps the a la carte menu would be a better bet however, given the price of the dishes on there, it is a big risk to take.

TB

The Black Prince

We were at an impasse. After a wonderful trip to Blenheim Palace, it was agreed that some form of refreshment was needed. The girls, being girls, were advocating a twee tea-shop. The gentlemen understood that the only honourable way to spend a sunny weekend afternoon was in a beer garden with a pint. Fortunately, such an area had been spotted a few minutes before. However, being gentlemen, we capitulated and trudged off into a dingy world of rocking tables, slow service and stale cakes.

Eventually even the girls had to admit, grudgingly,that they were wrong and so started my first ever encounter with the subject of this post.

The Black Price is a coaching inn on the main road that runs through Woodstock going North. The building looks old but unimposing from the outside however it stands out almost instantly with a magnificent garden that has well tended flowers, Aunt Sally, plenty of seating and a river running along it's Southern border. The latter was gratefully frequented by some of the canine patrons. An additional bonus was a large car park.

The inside was equally lovely with exposed stone walls and floors. There was lots of seating round the walls and big tables to eat at. In one corner was a large open fire which looked like it made the whole building wonderfully cosy in the winter months. Two features I particularly liked were the suit of armour guarding the door (although it does have the tendency to assault one on the way to the loo) and the fact that the optics were attached directly to the wall rather than to a bar.

My initial foray into the Black Prince was simply for drinks. The bar hosts an impressive range of real ales that are very well kept and change regularly enough to stay interesting. Prices are excellent and the staff are uniformly friendly and charming. Four-legged guests are also given a warm welcome with plenty cuddles and treats which was appreciated by my girlfriend's parent's dog when he puts in an appearance.

However it is not just a drinking pub. It is a wonderful place to eat. There is an extensive menu of standard "pub grub" (pies, fish and chips, burgers, etc). Although unfussy and unpretentious, the food is always beautifully prepared with hearty portions; almost enough to sate my appetite! I have eaten there many times and each time has been an unqualified joy. Better still, the prices are extremely reasonable (usually no more than £10 for a main course) making it the perfect place to default to on the rare occasions when cooking seems like too much of a chore and the freezer is empty.

Finally for commendation is the £5 menu. It is, as the name suggests, a menu on which all the dishes cost five pounds. Somewhat unkindly I was expecting meagre portions of rubbish from this but I can happily say that I'm wrong. The portions are perfect for a hearty lunch of a light dinner and again, beautifully cooked. A fantastic example of value for money.

In conclusion; if you're in Oxfordshire and you're looking for a reasonably priced good-quality meal or even a quiet drink in a scenic setting you will struggle to beat here.

TFB

Chicken and Mushroom Risotto

I haven't posted up a recipe for a while mainly as I have been playing with a lot of established favourites to make sure they are as good as they can get (in my opinion). However, the other night I made this which seemed to work first time so I'm going to make a bit of a leap of faith that it wasn't just a fluke and post it up here.

Since it's a risotto, the key thing to remember is that constant stirring and the gradual addition of the stock is the key to getting the lovely rich, creamy texture associated with risottos. The movement will cause the partial breakdown of the rice and release the starch into the dish. Obviously, the stirring part can be quite labour-intensive so I recommend finding someone of a fidgety disposition to delegate the stirring to. My girlfriend is perfect for this and is available for hire (for stirring only mind) at a reasonable hourly rate.

Ingredients:

2 medium white onions
1 medium clove of garlic
500g mixed mushrooms
1 large glass of white wine (and another for the chef. After all there is a lot of stirring)
1l chicken stock
splash of lea + perrins
1 tbsp cream cheese
200g risotto rice
1 packet of baby sweetcorns
Salt and pepper to taste

This does approx 3 - 4 main course size portions (or 2 me sized portions).

Method:

Fry the diced onions and garlic together in a little oil until the onions are thoroughly cooked and beginning to go brown.
Add the chopped mushrooms one hand-full at a time making sure all the fluid released by the mushrooms has boiled off before the next batch is added.
Stir in the chicken and seal.
Add the roughly chopped baby sweetcorns and mix.
Pour in the wine and lea + perrins then simmer until all the fluid has evapourated and the remaining residue is coating the other ingredients.
Stir in the rice and fry it in the pan for a few minutes.
Add about a quarter of the stock and allow it to be absorbed while stirring the mixture continually. Continue to add the stock gradually and allow to absorb.
After about three quarters of the stock is in, taste to check the seasoning and if the rice is cooked. Use the remaining stock as necessary to ensure the rice is fully cooked.
Once you are happy, add the cream cheese and stir thoroughly to ensure the cheese melts and is evenly distributed.
Serve!

There you go, relatively straight forward. I haven't tried it as a lunch the next day but hopefully it should acquit itself well. If you want to add some extra colour, you could always add some chopped peppers as well although be ware; the colour from the pepper does tend to leech into the mixture!

Enjoy!

TFB

Date Food

The ritual is an ancient one. A couple are taking their first faltering steps into a relationship. The first date has been successfully negotiated and subsequent encounters have not served to put either party in need of a restraining order. Things could be said to be going well.

Now comes a big hurdle. The first in a long line of firsts but with the potential of going catastrophically wrong. It is of course, the first meal out together.

The question is; where to go? Naturally you want to appear to be sophisticated with exquisite and refined taste so anywhere that serves food in a bucket (or disposable containers generally) is out. You may not be sure if your partner is particularly into food so that will probably knock out high-end multi-Michelin starred places too (and obviously, you're still at the stage where you want most of your attention to be focused on your date not your plate). Finally there's the rather awkward fiscal concern. Men especially feel an implicit social pressure to stump up for the whole shooting match so you want to avoid anywhere too outrageously expensive.

Obviously the gold standard is to have a "great little place" where the food is good, the price is reasonable and you know the staff well enough to be guaranteed a decent table or a couple of free drinks on the quiet. But what if you have just moved somewhere new or are consciously meeting on neutral territory. There's only so many "great little places" you can cultivate. Even then, your date might not like the style of food offered by them.

Perversely I think the answer is to go big. Find a national chain that does food that is good enough to be satisfying without being distracting. Chances are, you will have a more expansive menu too so your other half's tastes and dietary requirements are catered for. A wider variety of drinks might also be available, neatly circumventing the red/white debate or accusations of nefarious intent when you order a bottle rather than a glass. Cafe Rouge, Pizza Express and All Bar One are personal favourites of mine. All are reasonably sophisticated with reasonable prices, good food and not too much chance of kids/hen dos.

Once you've picked a restaurant there's always a bit of a conundrum about what to eat. Ribs, for example, cannot possibly be eaten elegantly, nor can a burger and anyone eating a pizza with a knife and fork looks like a total muppet. Plus, asking for your steak so rare that a vet could resuscitate it could well shock your other half's sensibilities. So play it safe. Avoid garlic (just in case there's the offer of more than one "dessert"), too much spice, anything too ostentatious and finger food. The latter has limited exceptions for things like tapas. In these cases, the tactile element can be quite fun. Also, be wary of tomato sauces, especially with strands of pasta. Splattering your own kit with little dots of red is bad enough but can you imagine doing it to your partner too? It would completely ruin your chances.

Finally is the thorny issue of payment. If you're not prepared to stump up fully, don't offer. Similarly, if the other party insists on splitting the bill; accept gracefully. What about vouchers? In these constrained financial times, I doubt I'm alone in thinking that it is acceptable to use them. You could always discreetly excuse yourself and settle up with them when out of earshot. Either that or use a trip to the loo as opportune cover. Either way, they don't need to be any the wiser and you don't have to reveal your tactics unless they really are insisting on splitting the bill at which point keeping in the dark starts to become morally dubious..

So there we have it. My guide to the potentially fraught world of going out to eat on dates. I'm interested to hear of any other favourite standby places people have.

TFB

Whisky on a Budget

Drinking whisky has never been and never will be a cheap hobby. At today's prices, a decent bottle of malt will set you back, on average, about £30. Unsurprisingly the prices can rise exponentially from there but there are a few that are significantly less expensive. This post won't make whisky drinking cheap. Hopefully it will make the money you spend on whisky go much, much further.

My first major piece of advice is, with a few exceptions, don't drink whisky in pubs. Consider that a large part of the price of a bottle of whisky is due to the obscenely high levels of tax levied against it. Then add several layers of suppliers and distributors all needing to cover costs and make a profit before it gets to the bar. Suddenly it's unsurprising that buying a dram in a British pub won't leave you with too much change from a fiver. The exception is if you can find the holy grail of pubs; one that charges a flat rate for single malts (there are a few). In that case, tuck into the good stuff and don't stop until you have to be carried out. Probably best not to have anything planned for the next day if you do this!

Next; keep an eye on special offers.  This applies across the board from supermarkets to local off-licences. If you see a good deal, snap it up. You don't have to drink it immediately. I have several good bottles I picked up on a good deal that I have saved to open on a special occasion.

Most of the time with these offers, you will only save a fiver or so but this will mount up. Occasionally you will hit it lucky and get an end of line sale where everything is massively reduced. I once got a £40 bottle for around £15 in one of these. A good day when they happen.

The best way to make your whisky budget go further is to think about how you will be consuming it and buy accordingly. I have already advocated having a bottle of cheap stuff for cooking. Own-brand plonk will usually fit the bill nicely here although maybe shy away from the white-label engine degreaser.

Careful choice can also be used for drinking whisky. I think it is well worth having a blend in stock (although maybe a step or two above the cooking stuff). It is perfect for occasions when you just want to taste whisky. Yes, puzzling out the intricacies of single malt is enormously fun and rewarding but ultimately, the taste of whisky is enjoyable in itself. It will also hit the spot perfectly at the end of a meal full of big flavours when your palette will already be clouded, or if you are planning on mixing it and making cocktails. Finally, if you are planning on using a hip flask, a blend is perfect. The small opening in a hip flask makes it almost impossible for the aromas to escape and be enjoyed. Therefore why not simply use a blend and save the malt for later?

As a final point, if you're squeamish about having blends on display and are willing to make a small investment; I strongly recommend purchasing a decanter. They can be bought cheaply in charity shops and on ebay. I can guarantee that they will add an air of decadence, novelty and ceremony to whatever drink you choose to put in it.

So there it is; my guide for making the money you spend on whisky go further. I'm off for a wee dram.

Sliante

TFB

Cocktail Hour: Angel's Oxford

Another cocktail bar review. This one was discovered purely by accident when we went in there for a pre-dinner drink. The reason? My girlfriend decided that walking in vertiginous heels was a good idea and by the time we got close to the restaurant, her feet were hurting too much to continue to our usual haunts. So it was that we ended up in Angel's. It has since become one of our firm favourites and our default for cocktails.

Angel's is what I would describe as a very classic cocktail bar. There is a large bar, an extensive selection of drinks and an air of gentle but unpretentious sophistication. The feel continues with the menu which is clearly laid out and contains a good selection of classic, modern and invented drinks. One feature I particularly like about the menu is, as well as including a list of ingredients, they also have a brief description of the drink and, in the case of the classic ones, a short history of the drink. Another nice quirk is the staff dress code of black shirts with red braces and ties. Anywhere else, it could be a bit naff but here I thought it looked good.

On to the drinks. As always I had a Vesper first. Not only was this on the menu but it was accompanied by a charming warning that it was "quite strong". I reassured the barman that I knew what I was letting myself in for and, in good time, my drink appeared. He wasn't joking. It had a kick like a mule. I almost ordered another one on the spot.

For once in my life I did resist temptation and instead went for a Corpse Raiser No. 2 (in the absence of Corpse Raiser No. 1), a delicious concoction that combined sweet, fruity and aniseed flavours with a rather vivid green colour. Given the prodigious number of alcoholic drinks on the ingredients list, it slipped down with terrifying ease.

In the mean time, my girlfriend decided that none of the drinks on the menu were quite to her taste so was having bespoke cocktails made for her. Judging by the squeals of utter delight and the expressions of various types of ecstasy on her fact I can conclude that she rather liked them. Based on this I decided to ask if a drink could be made based on my particular tastes. What came back was a delicious concoction of whisky augmented by a nice balance of fruity and sweet flavours.

This brings me almost neatly on to my next point; the staff. They are brilliant. As well as being well turned out, they are extremely knowledgeable about their ingredients and have an almost palpable passion for cocktails. When serving the bespoke drinks they genuinely cared about the reception they got. Fortunately, the quality of the drinks mean I doubt they every get a bad reaction.

Happy hour runs until nine most nights which makes the drinks reasonably priced and the music plays at a nice, ambient volume.Best of all, even the bespoke drinks were included at happy hour prices. In fact, my only (minor) complaint is that the seating was a wee bit limited. It was fine when we were there but if it got busy, I can imagine it being quite cramped.

In conclusion; easily one of the best cocktail bars we have been to in the last few months and contender for the best one in Oxford. Excellent drinks, reasonable prices and brilliant staff. Go and sample some of the excellent items on the menu.

TFB

Restaurant Review: The Running Horse

Hampshire is known for it's horses. New Forest Ponies are known internationally despite their habit of picking fights with cars. Moving away from postcards and on to betting slips, a famous stud farm and racing stables are within the county's borders.

Next door is the Running Horse pub. Unsurprisingly, it has a bit of a racing theme. However, despite this, gimmicks are not the stock in trade here. Good food and excellent beer are the front runners.

The pub has recently come under new management. As well as refurbishing the interior, the kitchen is cooking up a storm. Fresh, local produce is very much the order of the day. Not only was most of it alive until very recently (and in some cases, running around), it is beautifully prepared.

My starter was rope grown moules marinier. The mussels were plentiful; the sauce rich and creamy with just the right amount of garlic. It was served with a slice of toast, which seemed like a bit of an afterthought, and a spoon for the delicious sauce. There were enough mussels for a hearty starter and the remaining sauce filled any residual gaps.

The main course was roasted guinea-fowl with fondant potatoes, onion puree and a hazelnut/madiera sauce. It was magnificent. The guinea-fowl was rich and succulent with an intense flavour. The fondant potato light and fluffy with a delicious, earthy flavour. Everything was topped off perfectly by the sweet, rich sauce. There were a couple downsides to the dish. Firstly, the plate was lettered with some green gunk. I can only presume it was there for colour as it didn't look appetising. Painting a strategic bit on the plate might be a better alternative. Second was the fact that the dish was almost 20 minutes late. Unfortunately it had been missed off the order. To their credit, the staff handled it well and with great tact assuring me that it was being cooked at warp speed 6! Was it worth it? I think so.

Dessert was my traditional cheese board. There were a delicious variety of rich cheeses combined with plenty biscuits and some rather nice chutney. A perfect mix of tangy and creamy flavours which rounded off the meal nicely

All of this was washed down with a couple of pints of Tipster, an ale from the brewery owned by the company. Again, the emphasis on local produce! Although the beer wasn't brewed especially for the pub, it was still a nice touch.

The interior of the pub was elegantly decorated without the surroundings stealing the show from the food. A particular feature I liked were the tweed coverings on the cushions of the bench seats. The tables were uniformly large so there was always plenty space to spread out food, drinks and limbs.

Overall, well worth a visit. The delay in my main course lost it a few points but everyone makes mistakes and I'm more than happy to give it the benefit of the doubt for the first time.

TFB

Cogges Farm Beer Festival

Cogges farm is a museum farm in the centre of the Oxfordshire town of Witney. As well as being a fun activity during the day (including a canteen with plentiful portions and VERY local pork), it is building a reputation for being an excellent venue in the evenings staging events like open air theatre.

Far more pertinently (for this blog at least), they staged their second annual beer and cider festival the other week. Naturally I went along... strictly for research purposes you understand!

The tickets were a good start. They were only £8 to book in advance or £10 on the door. For this, you got two half pints, a branded half pint tankard to keep and an informative guide to the festival with details of all the drinks on offer and the events. Further beer tokens could be purchased for £1 per half pint although they were only available in batches of five... such a hardship.

Once inside, there was an excellent selection of things to do. The local radio station (or some bloke with a laptop and a massive i tunes account) was there and providing the tunes at the start of the night. Later there were some cover bands performing (and often making a better job of the songs than the original artists). Along side this was an Aunt Sally arena for locals to play the peculiar Oxfordshire game of, as far as I can tell, indeterminate rules. As well as this, there was a rather fun pub quiz although the section on Witney radio did prove to be a wee bit tricky.

The event was hosted across two adjacent barns, the biggest containing the beer and music with the smaller holding some chairs and tables. There was also a barbecue going strong and providing some much-needed stomach lining. Although the event was here, we were still able to roam free in the farm and mix with the animals. This resulted in lots of people making friends with the Shetland Pony on their way to the loo.

Now the beer. An extensive variety of local ales were on offer. Local here can be defined as within 50 miles of the farm. This is fairly close by anyone's standard but did lead to some interesting geographic scope. Beers were coming down south from the Cotswolds and travelling north from around Reading.

As you can imagine, the big local breweries were represented with a good range of fantastic been on offer from Wytchwood and Hook Norton breweries. Mainly, however, the beers were from much smaller outfits. The whole thing almost had the air of a home-brewing convention although this did not stop the beers being lovingly kept.

The main styles of beer present were lighter ones like golds, blondes and I.P.As which suited the summer theme perfectly. There were plenty of hoppy aromas floating around and mixing with the smells of a summer evening. This was helped by the fact that smoking was banned across the site so we were spared the usual nicotinic gauntlet that hangs on the fringe of doorways. Another huge plus point was the fact that the whole event was dog friendly; a point which came acutely into focus when I befriended a young spaniel puppy.

In fact I have only two very minor complains. First was the fact that there was no facility for cleaning the glasses meaning that they got a bit sticky and clagged up with the flavours of the previous beers. Second was that there were no obvious soft drinks. This wasn't a huge problem for me but it was a bit unfair on the designated drivers. The fact that there was no vegetarian option on the barbecue should probably come in for some criticism but there have been greater offences committed at events.

In short, I had a wonderful time in a fantastic atmosphere where I got to try lots of lovely new beers. If they decide to run a similar event next year I will not hesitate to book it up and will try and convince as many people as possible to go along with me.

Cheers!

TFB

York Brewery

York is an ancient city steeped in history. It Ouses from every pore of every building. Whether it's the ancient history of the Vikings and Romans or the modern history of the chocolate industry, York has a bit of all of it.

The history I am going to write about today began in the mid-'90s, the 1990s that is. A pub chain manager had recently been made redundant and was contemplating his future while drowning his past in the pub. He came up with a wonderful idea (as one often does in the pub). Unlike many such ideas, he actually remembered the idea the next day. It was, to start a brewery within the walls of York city. The first in many a year.

York brewery is the result. Tucked away in the shadows of the city walls, this small brewery produces an excellent range of beers to slake the thirst of native Yorkies and us tunnel-visioned tourists.

The tour begins in the bar where the tour group congregates and sups a warm-up pint. Be aware, tours only happen at specified times so it's as well to check then plan around it. We started in the malt store where we were given a brief history of the brewery as well as an introduction to the malts and the hops used.

Next we move into the main room which houses the mash tun and the copper. As far as the process goes, it is a fairly standard one however the tour is rich in supplementary information. It was hear that I learned about the process of Burtonisation where minerals are added to water in order to give it a similar chemical profile to Burton on Trent: apparently the best water for beer making. We also had an introduction to the mechanics of cask fermentation which turned into a bit of a highlight. My particular favourite was the discussion on yeast strains. York brewery has carefully selected their yeast to ensure it ferments at the top of the fermenter and not the bottom. This prevents carbon dioxide from bubbling through the drink as it conditions and gives it a wonderful smoothness as well as reducing the acidity caused by carbon dioxide dissolving in the drink.

Once we had finished the tour it was back to the bar for a couple of well-earned samples that were included in the price. The tasting wasn't as formal as many I've been to. Rather than talking us through each beer at a time, the staff cheerfully pulled pints (well halfs) and were more than happy to discuss the beers in great detail.

My only major complaint would be the gift shop. It was pleasant and discreet and only really had beer relevant products. Unfortunately they no longer have home-brew kits I saw advertised on the way in. It would have been nice to get my hands on one and have a go at making Yorkshire beer myself.

Despite the above paragraph, it was an excellent tour and one of the highlights of our few days in York. It certainly represented value for money on the entrance price and was a proper beer nerds tour given the detailed descriptions and technical discussions that were going on I especially liked that aspect. Either way, nerd or no nerd, go and have a look round.

TDB

Restaurant Review: Limewood

Like a second album for a successful band, a second restaurant for a successful chef can be a tough challenge. Too similar to the original venture and they run the risk of being branded formulaic and unoriginal. Too different and they risk losing some of the magic that brought them success in the first place. The process can't be any easier with fans and food critics alike, poised with baited breath, awaiting the latest offering. Such were the challenges faced by Angela Hartnett and Luke Holder when they opened their new restaurant in Limewood.

Both chefs have an impeccable fine-dining pedigree, having worked in a constellation of Michelin Starred restaurants. Both have a strong Italian influence in their cooking. This Italian streak pervades through the entire experience. The building itself, set in the middle of the New Forest, was built to reflect Italian architecture with the main bar being set out like a central Piazza. A huge sliding roof allows vast amounts of natural light in and gives the space a lovely, airy feel. More to the point, the bar mixed the first decent negroni I've had since I lived with an Italian! A selection of lighter, less potent cocktails were available for the faint-hearted. I was also impressed by the extensive range of single malts available. Their ranks included some of my all time favourites.

The food had a very strong Italian feel to it with lots of pasta and rich tomato sauces on the menu, which itself was laid out in the style of a traditional Italian restaurant rather than starter, main and dessert.

On the subject of the menu; A3 sheets of card were just a bit big and unwieldy to handle at the table especially when we had decided what we wanted to eat and were ready to continue our conversation. Finding somewhere to put them on the already cramped table was a bit of a pain.

As well as being small, the tables became very cluttered when the main dishes were brought along with various side dishes. Cutlery, crockery, wine and food stayed on more by luck than design. The tables were also very close together. Had it been busier, I can imagine the dining room getting quite claustrophobic.

Despite these niggles, the food was mostly excellent. My starter, an antipasti of meats which were smoked and cured in house, was delicious and beautifully presented on a wooden block. A main course of cockles, plaice and smoked sweetcorn was equally tasty although I didn't really notice the chilli that claimed to be in there. My side of potatoes was delicious but erring on the oily side. Dessert was the usual cheeseboard which claimed to have a mix of Italian and British cheeses. I would have appreciated a brief explanation of each of the cheeses so I could have got a rough idea of which one was which. That said, I liked the concept and (crucially) there were plenty of biscuits to go with it.

For others in the party, dessert was a bit of a let down. My girlfriend's mother ended up having a slice of cake that would have looked more at home in a tea shop and, according to her, turned out to be a bit disappointing. This was mitigated by my girlfriend's dessert of strawberry and basil panna cotta. It looked so gorgeous that I couldn't help but pinch a bit. The strawberries and basil combined to form a beautifully refreshing flavour. This was accentuated by the panna cotta with a deliciously smooth, delicate texture.

As I said, the food at Limewood was delicious. However I think it suffered a bit from stylistic indecision. The website claims it to be 'fun dining not fine dining'. Why fine dining can't be fun I don't know but let's gloss over that. I presume this to mean they were aiming to move away from the formality and fussiness of fine dining towards a more relaxed brasserie style. I'm not sure this has been fully realised. The food and service is just a bit too formal to be brasserie but doesn't quite hit all the fine ding buttons either. Yes, it tasted fabulous but I (and the others with me) found the lack of definite focus a bit unsettling. Ultimately, a lot of thought and effort has gone into designing the experience and the branding around it. This is slightly let down by the food being served lacking direction.

So, with all this in mind, would I recommend it? Yes. The building is stunning; the setting more generally is spectacular; the atmosphere is relaxed and welcoming and (despite the fact that I spent the last paragraph nit-picking) the food was delicious too.

TFB 

York Chocolate Experience

I don't really have a sweet tooth. An egg allergy has meant that most conventional desserts are firmly off the menu. This, combined with a hatred of gelatinous textures, means that I've never had much time for sweet stuff.

There is an exception to this. Chocolate. I love it. Not just any chocolate of course. That would be too simple. White chocolate is too sweet and sickly. Dark chocolate too bitter to do much other than cook with. That leaves milk chocolate. With fruit? Blasphemy! Nuts? Tolerable. As long as they're not peanuts otherwise I get a little bit dead. Caramel? No chance. That leaves nice, simple slabs of chocolate.

For years I have munched down chocolate without really thinking about where it came from or how it was made. This lasted until the other weekend when I visited the chocolate experience in York.

Things started well. We got quite a reception. The staff evidently enjoy the product: nothing to do with their weight, everything to do with the fact that they were all mildly hyper! We got an excellent tour. Our guide gave us an excellent talk on the history of the chocolate industry followed by a detailed description of the manufacture process. The level of the talk was perfect; enough detail for a geek like me but simple enough to keep the kids on the tour entertained. Critically, the talk was punctuated by plenty of free samples.

A particular highlight came at the end. We were given a tutored tasting and a demonstration on how to taste chocolate properly as if we were chocolatier. Now I know that in most cases where chocolate is involve, more is generally regarded at  better but it's useful to have a framework in which I could think about the chocolate in more detail if I wanted to.

Fortunately, the tour wasn't entirely academic. We had a few practical work shops at the end as well. First was making a chocolate lollipop. Sadly this sounds far more involved than it actually was. In reality, it consisted of little more than applying chocolate sprinkles to molten chocolate on a stick. Although not exactly technically complex, the results were tasty! Finally we had a demonstration of making chocolate from a proper chocolatier. As always, it was a pleasure to watch an expert at work and try a few esoteric flavour combinations to boot.

In conclusion, the whole experience was great fun. I learned a lot about the history of chocolate making in this country and a lot about the best ways of tasting chocolate. While the practical activities were a wee bit disappointing, the extensive amount of chocolate available made up for it!

TFB

Cocktail Hour: Love Jericho

Time for another cocktail bar I think. Since my last review was on Raoul's, it seems only fair that I now turn my attention to it's next door neighbour; Love Jericho, unsurprisingly located in the Jericho area of Oxford.

If I was forced to describe the "feel" or worse the "vibe" of Love Jericho, I would probably opt for tropical. The bar area is very colourful with bowls of fruit and bright bottles everywhere. This is reflected in the drinks they make. A strong fruit bias runs through the menu with lots of vivid colours, citrus flavours and citrus garnishes.

When I walked in, I was impressed by the music; mainly that is wasn't too loud and I didn't have to bellow to be heard over it. The turn-out of the staff was also impressive. They were all very smart without being overly formal or stuffy. I appreciate this since, most of the time when I go for cocktails, there is usually some sort of occasion attached to it. If the bar staff are dressed like students, the sense of ceremony is diminished somewhat.

My first drink was, as always, a Vesper. This time, pleasingly, it was on the menu and I didn't have to battle to get the drink of my choice! It was suitably dry and strong with a nice kick to it. Next up was a Jericho Zombie. This was chosen mainly for the name but the list of ingredients also appealed. As you can imagine, a drink with this name had some flaming rum to finish it off. However the showmanship didn't detract from the quality of the drink. It was delicious; fruity while not being too sharp or too sweet. There was also decent strength to it; I'm always wary of cocktails that conceal the alcohol. I know they were invented to conceal poor quality hooch but these days, if you don't like the taste of alcohol, why not get a virgin one?

The highlight came later when I was talking to the barman about my preferred taste in drinks... dry and strong ideally. This ended up in him concocting a delicious green mixture involving vodka, bitters and one or two splashes from miscellaneous bottles. It as wonderful and hit the spot perfectly. Not bad for a few minutes chat over the bar.

Also worth noting is the happy hour which lasts until about nine most evenings. It applies to most of the drinks on the menu and puts their price in the region of a fiver. I think this is a rather good deal for such excellent drinks. Arguably it's cheaper (on a small scale) than buying the ingredients and doing it yourself.

There are a couple of drawbacks. Seating is a little on the limited side and is only possible indoors. Also, during one visit there was a live band. While the performers were excellent, the volume was loud to the point of being intrusive and made it impossible to hold a conversation. Finally, although the menu was extensive, there was a definite emphasis on fruit flavours which was a bit of a disappointment to my girlfriend who loves creamier flavours.

Despite these minor niggles we both thoroughly enjoyed it and have been back many times. It has also been recommended to friends (but not enemies). The drinks are excellent, the staff are friendly and the prices, even at full whack, are very reasonable. Go for a drink if you're in the area.

TFB

Don't Judge a Book by it's Cover

Canteens at attractions have always been a bit of a high-risk option for obtaining food in my world. They are usually expensive and serve food of dubious quality. If it’s not a sweaty (salad infested) sandwich then it is a hot meal of limited flavour. Not to mention the “home baking” which has seen better decades never mind days!

That’s what I thought until last weekend when I visited Eden camp in Yorkshire. Due to a lack of time, our hands were forced and we were left with a choice of the canteen or the canteen if we wanted any chance of having some lunch and seeing the attraction. With that in mind, I resigned myself to picking at something I wasn’t particularly keen on and trying to force down as much as possible before finally giving in with some remaining pangs of hunger.

 Things got a little better when we got in the canteen (laid out like it would have been when it was an operational PoW camp) and I saw they at least had some decent ale to take the edge off whatever I was eating. However the emphasis still seemed to be on novelty rather than quality. Every dish had a war-themed name.

In the end I was completely, utterly and spectacularly wrong. The Churchill steak pie was one of the best bits of steak pie, that hasn’t been made by my mum, which I have had in years. The pastry was golden and beautifully hungry (a shortcrust rather than a puff). Meanwhile the meat was succulent, tender and beautifully flavoured. A generous helping of Heinz’s best effort helped the whole lot slide down.

If I had one complaint it would be that the potatoes were under seasoned and over cooked but it was a hot summer afternoon. I really didn’t feel like massive amounts of carbohydrate, certainly no more than was provided by the pastry, so it was no great loss. Ultimately, I can forgive the spuds given the quality of the pie.

It just goes to prove that wonderful food can be found in the most unexpected of places.

TFB

Hook Noton Brewery

Today's brewery review is Hook Norton in the Cotswold. We visited the brewery at the height of summer and on a glorious day; perfect timing for a beer (but then when isn't).

The brewery is hidden in the hills and accessible only by some charming, winding roads. Suddenly it looms out of the horizon like Hogwarts but where real magic happens.

Admittance is by pre-booked tours only and it is advisable to plan your trip well in advance. Spaces go quickly. Ours started with a brief history of the brewery beginning from when it was a small operation in a farm house and taking us through periods of growth and development until the 1800s... or it's present condition as it's otherwise known! It sounds glib but the brewery is what I would call a working antique. Some of the machinery that is used regularly wouldn't look out of place in a museum and the brewing process has remained largely unchanged. However more of that later.

I won't go into detail about the brewing process but there were a few tour highlights worth mentioning beyond the generally informative guide. First is the steam engine that powers the whole operation. Although it was out of action the day we were there (a new part was being engineered apparently), it is still used regularly and to great effect. The mill used for milling the malt has also seen a fair few sunrises (OK the precise age escapes me but it's OLD) and is almost unmodified from when it was purchased. This theme continues throughout a lot of the brewing equipment down to the master brewer's desk and the ledgers in his office. All of the equipment is beautifully maintained and gives the whole experience an air of elegance. There is however one concession to modernity... parts of the brewery have gone digital. More specifically a digital thermometer has been installed. Don't worry, it's calibrated in Fahrenheit!

Another concession to modernity is the high-quality of the horse feed used to power the three carthorses that are used to make deliveries of beer to the local area. Hook Norton is one of only two breweries still to do this. Meeting the horses was one of the highlights of the tour as far as my girlfriend was concerned and they were wonderfully friendly and tolerant of being pawed at by random gawpers.

Back to the beer; I particularly liked the opportunities to sample the various types of malt and be talked through the various types of hops used. Even if it did result in green, sticky hands!

All this of course is a prelude to the main event... the tasting. This is done in the old malting house. First and foremost, the samples are wonderfully generous. Samples are given in thirds (and generous interpretations of that). They also offered samples of all the beers produced by the brewery rather than a paltry few drops of whatever the most common ones happen to be. Each one was described and explained with passion by our guide. A personal favourite was their summer beer haymaker. This is designed to slake the thirst of working in the fields. The intention of the brewer was that by the end of the first bottle your thirst was quenched; by the end of the second you've forgotten the back breaking effort of your toil.

A final highlight after the tasting was the upper floor of the malt house which was a beautifully curated museum relating the history of the town of Hook Norton. It's well worth a look although be warned; the stairs can be a bit of a challenge after your tastings!

Overall, it's a lovely tour and well worth doing. The settings and the process is genuinely beautiful and rounded off perfectly with an excellent tasting at the end. Well worth doing.

TFB

Whisky Terminology

Since I have already written quite a lot about whisky and I intend to write much more, I thought I would write a brief guide to some of the terminology I use. Like almost everything and especially things people get passionate (geeky) about, a set of jargon has evolved around it. Most of it is straight forward enough but very good fun.

Let's start with the most obvious one: whisky. To be called whisky a liquid has to be made using water, malted barley and yeast. Nothing else. It then has to be aged in an oak barrel for at least three years (although in practise, it is usually aged for far longer to give a smoother finish). To be called Scotch whisky this process, unsurprisingly, has to be carried out entirely in Scotland. The term whiskey refers to drinks produced in Ireland and America.

One step further. Single malt whisky is the name given to whisky produced in one single distillery. Just to be confusing, this doesn't mean that only one type of malted barley is used in the production. On that note, the age you see on a bottle of single malt refers to the youngest whisky in the bottle. When bottled, the master blender of the distillery will mix whiskies from various barrels at various ages to achieve the desired flavour. Hey presto, the malt you're used to. Generally (with the exception of the Glenrothes) whisky is identified by age rather than vintage. This is because time spent in the barrel will influence the flavour of the drink however, time in the bottle won't.

Pure malt/vatted malt is created by mixing several single malts from different distilleries. There are relatively few on the market at the moment however, with the growing knowledge and appreciation of whisky, it is a growing market.

Blended whisky is a mixture of single malts and grain whisky which is blended to achieve a specific flavour. Historically, this has been one of the most commonly consumed types of whisky and includes big brands like The Famous Grouse and Bells.

Grain whisky is spirit produced in a continuous flow process not in batches like malts. It is generally cheaper to produce and is, historically not as complex or in demand as malt. Hence it has been used to 'bulk out' blended whisky allowing them to be sold at a lower cost. Recently some whisky producers such as Compass Box have been experimenting with various single grain whiskies to great effect.

One of the most important pieces of apparatus in a distillery is the still. A still is a copper vessel used to boil up the low wines (fermented sugars extracted from malted barley - distilled beer) and cause the alcohol to boil off to be condensed. Stills are key to the whisky making process and it is thought that the shape of the still has a profound impact on the final dram. To that end, distillers will take great care to ensure that any dents, blemishes and imperfections are retained in the stills when parts of them are replaced. Almost all Scottish whisky is distilled twice apart from Auchentoshan which is distilled three times; a trait more common to Irish whiskey.

Next is the barrel that this whisky is aged in. This is known as the cask and must be made of oak. Cask strength whisky is, naturally enough, whisky that is bottled at the strength it comes out of the cask at. This is usually just over 50% A.B.V. Most whisky is bottled at around 40% A.B.V.

Along with percentages and ages, whisky bottles can also have "non chill-filtered" on the side. During the ageing process, fats can leech into the spirit from the wood. If the resulting whisky is chilled, these fat molecules can condense and give a slightly cloudy look to the drink. Some distilleries chill their whiskies causing the fat to condense then filter them off. Others choose not to do this and bottle at a slightly higher percentage to prevent this clouding. Either way, the flavour is largely unaffected!

The next concept is that of the Expression. An expression of single malt is a specific bottling of whisky. It can relate to the age of the malt, the strength or the type of cask the whisky has been aged in. As I said previously, to be called whisky, the spirit has to be aged in an oak barrel for at least three years to be called whisky. That doesn't mean it has to spend it's entire ageing period in oak. At the moment, some distilleries are experimenting with ageing whisky for a short period before bottling in casks that have been used previously for other drinks like port, sherry and Madeira.

The next few terms all relate to volumes of whisky. While Eskimos have hundreds of words from snow, Scots have equally as many descriptions of volumes of whisky (and drunkenness).

First is a nip. This is equivalent, roughly, to a pub measure or 35ml and is just enough to get the flavour in your mouth.

Next is a tot. Larger than a nip, smaller than other measures. Probably enough for a second sip once you've tasted it.

After this is a term of my own coining: a sploosh (roughly a double pub measure). A useful measure especially when cooking (one for the pot, one for the chef as always).

Back on the mainstream we have a dram. This is strictly a measure for private residences and ideally between friends. To measure a dram pour two fingers width into a glass (conventionally your index and middle finger pressed together with your middle finger at the level of the bottom of the fluid in the glass and going up to the top of the index finger). This is of course open to interpretation. One finger is useful if you don't like the person you're pouring for. If you do like them... well it's up to you how tightly you press your fingers together!

Finally is a wee dram. A wee dram perfectly encapsulates the innate Scottish sense of mischievous irony as it is anything but wee (Scottish for small). To measure a wee dram, use the same two finger technique but use the ring and the index finger. For special occasions use the index finger and the pinky and for a VERY special occasion use the pinky and thumb... sod it, if you're at that stage just start swigging from the bottle!

There we go. A rough guide to whisky terminology.

Sliante

TFB